


Second chance

by violetbear



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Makeup, Minor Injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-04
Updated: 2018-09-04
Packaged: 2019-07-06 16:12:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15889509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/violetbear/pseuds/violetbear
Summary: Reyes messed up bad. He won Kadara but lost the man he loved. Or so he thought.





	Second chance

Walking into his private room at Tartarus, Reyes stopped just in the doorway, surprised by the sight before him. A sight he thought he would never see again. Scott, arms crossed over his chest, stretched out on the couch, asleep. He quietly made his way across the room and crouched down in front of him. He reached a cautious hand out to touch him, not quite believing his own eyes. Scott’s hand rose a little before he let out a groan and set it back down.

“Scott?” He placed his hand over his. “Are you alright?” He knew he had no right to ask but he had to know. He still cared for the man. Even after screwing up any chance he had with him. He batted away the notion that Scott was here because he missed him too. No way was that the case. This must be Pathfinder business.

“Fuck, that hurt”, Scott groaned, opening his eyes. Reyes’s heart did a flip as he smiled at him. “Hello, Reyes. Surprise.”  
“What are you doing here?”  
“Uh, surprising you”, Scott said, raising an eyebrow. “Didn’t you hear me? You’re not that old. Or are you? Do I need to speak louder?”

This wasn’t the Pathfinder in front of him. It was his Scott. Scott with his quirky sense of humour. His adorable smile that made his heart sing. He started to smile back before he remembered. Remembered what had happened in that cave. Remembered how he had fucked up the best thing that had ever happened to him. Scott was lost to him. Lovers to strangers in an instant. What a fool he had been. A sigh escaped him as he removed his hand and stood up. Scott’s smile disappeared.

“Reyes?” Scott started to sit up before groaning and lying back down. “SAM?”  
“I did warn you. You’ve stayed in one position for too long. Shall I call Lexi?”  
“No. She’ll use this as an excuse to give me more shots. I’m fine here. Unless you’re kicking me out?”  
It took him a moment to realize that last question was directed at him.  
“Uh... No.” He looked at the ground. He couldn’t look at Scott. It hurt too much. “Stay as long as you want, Pathfinder. I can find another place if you don’t want me here.”  
“Stay. I... Damn it. Give me a minute. Can’t breathe in this.”

He looked up as he heard the sound of clasps being undone. Scott was removing the chest piece of his armour. Or was trying to. He couldn’t reach the clasp on the left side with his right hand.  
“Damn it”, Scott muttered, stretching his fingers as far they would go. “Come on.”  
“Let me.” He dropped to his knees and lifted the clasp, freeing Scott. He grabbed the two halves and set them beside him on the ground. “How bad are you hurt?”  
“Nothing broken. Or that’s what SAM says.”  
“What happened?”  
“Got thrown against a wall. Rock isn’t exactly the most forgiving surface. Can you help with the rest?”

It was a painful process for both of them. Scott, physically. Reyes, mentally. Every whimper from Scott’s lips made him want to go find the wall that had done this to Scott and destroy it. Finally it was over through. Scott lay on the couch in only his under armour.   
“That’s so much better”, Scott sighed, eyes closed. “Thank you. I knew this was the right decision.”  
“What was?”  
“Coming here.” Scott opened his eyes and smiled. “To you. How I’ve missed you.”

All the breathe left his body. Had he heard right? Was this a cruel dream? He’d had them before. Scott returned to him. Fell into his arms. But then he woke up in his empty of Scott bed. Empty of Scott life. This scene had played out a thousand times in his head. Could this time be the real thing?  
Fighting the urge to kiss those beautiful lips, he stood back up. If this was the real thing he had to know a few things first.

“Where’s your squad?” The last thing he needed was them interrupting or killing him if they thought he had kidnapped the Pathfinder. “They know you’re here?”  
“Not exactly. But speaking of them, I might have broken the lift to the port. Maybe. SAM says its fine but...”  
“What are you---“  
“We were heading back to the ship. Slowly. I told them if they tried to carry me, I would shoot them. Which is why I’m unarmed. Cora is very fast at disarming.”  
“You wouldn’t have actually---“  
“Of course not. But I was injured. Plus, they say I act... Weird, when we land on Kadara now.” Scott shrugged, wincing in the process. “Better safe than a visit to Lexi.”

He had to smile.  
“I don’t think that’s how that saying goes.”  
“For the crew of the Tempest it is.”  
He could imagine the scene well. Scott’s hand hovering over his holster. His expression more pouting than intimidating. Cora rolling her eyes at his childness before moving in to disarm him, increasing Scott’s pout. A chuckle escaped him.  
“Oh, Scott. You haven’t changed a bit.”  
“Nope. Well, maybe a little less trusting.”

That was his fault. He had taken Scott’s innocent, trusting nature and used it to further his plans. Used him even as he was falling in love with him. If only he could go back in time and tell Scott the truth. Tell him the truth so Scott didn’t lose the part of him that only believed the best of everyone. The part of him that had loved him.

He kneeled back down, carefully grabbing Scott’s hand.  
“Oh, Scott. I’m sorry. Sorry I wasn’t the man you thought I was. Sorry I couldn’t... Wouldn’t tell you the truth of who I really was. The truth of whom you...” He bit his tongue. Loved? Love? Which was it? Should he hope for the latter? The smile Scott was giving him made him believe it might still be love.

“Reyes”, Scott sighed, looking up at the ceiling. “That’s all I could think about.”  
“Which part?”  
“We were just passing where I usually turned to come see you when all I could think was ‘I want Reyes. I miss Reyes. I need to see him.’ But I didn’t act on those thoughts.”  
“Yet, you’re here.”  
“At that moment.” Scott turned his gaze back to him. “We got to the lift when I couldn’t take it anymore. My fingers stopped on the button to activate the lift. I couldn’t bring myself to press it. Instead I told SAM to hack the lift.”  
“SAM broke the lift?”  
“I did not.” If an AI could sound huffy, that’s what SAM sounded like. “The lift is perfectly operational. For everyone but the crew of the Tempest.”

“I don’t understand. The lift isn’t broken?”  
“I told SAM to block them.” Scott squeezed his hand. “Then I activated the lift and jumped off before they could react.”  
“You jumped off the lift?”  
“Don’t worry. It wasn’t that far off the ground.”  
“The lift was sixty feet off the ground”, said SAM.  
“Which is not that far. I’ve fallen further.”

He didn’t know what to say. Scott had missed him. Scott had jumped off a mountain to see him. Scott might still love him.  
“Reyes.” Scott gave his hand a tug, turning his attention back to him.  
“You jumped off a mountain to see me?”  
“Technically, I jumped off a quarter of a mountain to see you.”  
“Still. Why?”  
“Seriously? Because I---“Scott hissed in pain as he tried to sit up. “Okay. That was a bad idea.”

He had forgotten that Scott had come to him injured. He placed a gentle hand on his chest to keep him lying down.  
“How injured did you say you were?”  
“Nothing broken. I’m just very bruised right now. And SAM won’t help with the pain.”  
“Because you need to go see Lexi", SAM insisted.  
“No. I need to be here. So help me.”  
“No.”

Reyes knew this could go on for a while if he didn’t intervene. And there were things he still needed to say to Scott. Things he still needed to hear from him.  
“How about you let me take a look and I’ll be the deciding vote on if you go back to the Tempest?”  
“Fine”, Scott sighed. “But if I’m going back to the Tempest, you’re following me.”  
His heart leapt in his chest. If he wasn’t careful, he would be joining Scott in the med bay.   
“If that’s how you want it. Come on. Let’s get this off you so I can see.”

Scott unzipped his under armour to his waist and pulled his right arm from the sleeve.  
“Going to need some help with the rest.”  
He gently helped Scott pull his left arm free, hissing in sympathy at what he saw.  
Scott’s left side of his chest, stomach, and left arm were no longer their normal shade. His skin was now a patchwork of red, purple, and black.  
“Wow”, said Scott, lifting his head to see. “I’m as colourful as an Angara.”  
“No wonder you’re in pain.”  
“And yet, nothing broken.”

So Scott kept saying but he needed to hear it from a different source.  
“SAM? What can you tell me?”  
“Nothing is broken.”  
“Told you”, Scott said.  
“But he is severely bruised.”  
“We can see that. You’re sure nothing is broken? No internal bleeding?”  
“None.”  
“You are very lucky, my love.” Damn. Why had he said that? He started to apologize but noticed Scott was smiling at him. Positively beaming, in fact.

“Yes, I am.” Scott leaned over with his right hand, running it over Reyes’s chest. “I am. And I think the time for talking is over. Don’t you agree?”  
He grabbed Scott’s hand and kissed the back of it before standing up.  
“SAM, can you---“  
“I’ll inform the Tempest of the situation. He needs to be back on board by 0800. I’m shutting off my logs now. Have a good night.”  
“Wait”, Scott insisted. “SAM, can you---“  
“The pain will be gone for two hours. I can’t safely do more.”  
Reyes walked over to the back wall and activated the switch that opened the wall. A small room with a bed lay beyond it. The two of them had spent many enjoyable hours there before the cave.

“That will be enough for now. Thank you, SAM.” He started to turn back to Scott when arms encircled him from behind. “Someone is eager.”  
“Someones”, Scott said, kissing his neck. “You opened that awfully fast.”  
“It has been a long time.”  
“Really?”  
“Haven’t even slept in it since I lost you, Scott.” He turned in his grip to kiss his lips.  
“You never lost me, Reyes. I’m still yours.” Scott kissed him back. “And you’re still mine. Right, Charlatan?”  
“No.” He placed his hand on Scott’s cheek. “No Charlatan here. No Pathfinder. No titles. Just us. As it was.”  
“As it still is. You never let me finish saying something.”  
“What?”

“Because I love you.” Those blue eyes had never looked as beautiful to him as they looked right now. “I love you, Reyes.”  
“Oh, Scott. I love you too. I promise. No more secrets. I’m so sorry. I should have---“  
“Reyes, stop.” Scott leaned in close. “I don’t want to hear how sorry you are”, he whispered in his ear. “I want you to show me.”  
“As my love wishes.” The next two hours were spent doing just that. After, carefully holding Scott in his arms as the man slept, he promised himself not to waste the second chance he had been given.


End file.
